Gail Delaughter/Houston Public MediaA Houston freeway.Gas Prices Are Still Falling In Houston And Around TexasGas prices are still falling in Houston and around Texas. AAA Texas says the statewide average is now $1.93 a gallon. That’s four cents less than last week.The average price in Houston is now $1.92 a gallon. That’s five cents cheaper than last week.Joshua Zuber, a spokesman for AAA, said they expect prices to stay low for the rest of January but it’s hard to predict what happens next. “We are expecting the OPEC cuts to take place starting off this New Year,” Zuber noted, “we’ll have to see how big of an impact that will have on gas prices.” He also highlighted the United States is producing oil in record numbers. A community rally and public funeral service have been scheduled for seven-year-old Jazmine Barnes who was killed Sunday morning while riding in a car with her mom and sisters.The community rally will be held Saturday, January 5 at noon in the Walmart parking lot at 5655 East Sam Houston Parkway, not far from where the shooting occurred. A funeral service and balloon release will take place on Tuesday, January 8 at noon at the Green House International Church.Barnes was killed while riding in a car with her mother and three sisters in the eastern outskirts of Houston. A person in a red, four-door pick-up truck pulled alongside the car and fired into it. Barnes was killed on scene and her mother, LaPorsha Washington, suffered a gunshot wound. The reward for a tip that would lead to an arrest of the killer has also been increased to $100,000. The reward is being offered by Lee Merritt, a national civil rights attorney with an office in Dallas, and New-York-based activist and writer Shaun King. Share Thursday, January 3, 2019Top afternoon stories:Texas May Miss Out On Quality Pre-KEarly education can do more than teach children the ABCs. High quality pre-K can also improve children’s physical and emotional well-being, according to a new analysis by the National Institute for Early Education Research.Analysts found that attending preschool can result in children having less depression, less stress, better blood pressure and better job prospects.But in Texas, many children may be missing out on those benefits.That’s because researchers only find these health outcomes if the pre-K is quality. And state standards for early education programs miss most of the national benchmarks for quality pre-K. For the 2016-2017 school year, the most recent data available, researchers at Rutgers found that Texas only met four out of 10 benchmarks.For example, Texas doesn’t have limits on class sizes or student to teacher ratios and doesn’t require assistant teachers to have more than a high school diploma.Fort Bend DA’s Office Fires 15 As Middleton Succeeds HealeyFort Bend County’s new district attorney has fired 15 staffers. The move comes as Democrat Brian Middleton reshapes the office, following 26 years under Republican DA John Healey.Those let go include 11 of the county’s 70-plus prosecutors, along with two investigators and two other staffers.“We conducted a thorough review of the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office staff with one objective,” said First Assistant District Attorney Ibraheem Khawaja. “And that’s finding the attorneys and staff that will help bring Brian [Middleton] and his administration about the criminal justice reforms that he promised the voters. The process began with all positions being required to reapply for employment at the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.”The DA’s office notified the 15 staffers last Friday that they were out of a job. Khawaja says the office will announce their replacements soon.Courtesy of family of Jazmine BarnesJazmine Barnes.Community Rally And Funeral Announced For Jazmine Barnesread more

Kolkata: Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRL) of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) was inaugurated.Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), inaugurated the VRL at its Park Unit location in Kolkata. Rear Admiral VK Saxena (Retd), CMD GRSE, SS Dogra, Director (Finance), AK Nanda, Director (Personnel), Cmde Sanjeev Nayyar, Director (Shipbuilding) and other senior officials of GRSE were present during the inaugural programme. Vijayendra, Joint Secretary (Naval Systems), Department of Defence Production was also present during the occasion. Also Read – Speeding Jaguar crashes into Merc, 2 B’deshi bystanders killedAccording to a Press communique, the design activity in Central Design Office was required to be strengthened and it often requires quick, reliable and accurate resolution of design issues. It was raised by the production branch or the vendor. Now, the virtual reality facility also enables fast analyses of upcoming issues in design phases leading to better time and resource management. Now 3-D models can be created in a virtual environment for assisting the production teams and customers to expedite approvals.It may be mentioned that GRSE has developed capabilities for in-house design and shipbuilding.It has made considerable contributions to the indigenous warship construction program of the country, which includes state-of-the-art frigates and corvettes to fast patrol vessels.read more

UK connected TV platform YouView has released the first in a series of updates to deliver better accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers as well as those with motor skill and cognitive impairment.The initial software update includes the option of changing the iconic blue and black YouView programme guide to high contrast black and white, enabling visually impaired users to read the text more easily.The mini TV screen available in the top right hand corner of the programme guide also now has the option to be switched off, offering easier navigation for customers with cognitive disorders.The update will initially only be available on YouView set-top boxes purchased at retail. Customers with YouView from BT or TalkTalk will receive accessibility updates in due course, according to YouView.Susie Buckridge, director of product at YouView said, “We want everyone across the UK to be able to enjoy their favourite TV via YouView and to do this we understand how important it is to for YouView to be accessible. We have worked closely with the RNIB and Scope to ensure everything we add will allow the YouView journey to be seamless and easy as possible for all of our customers.”Further updates for this audience will be added to the service in the next few months.read more

A two-vehicle crash Thursday claimed the life of a man from Boligee and injured two others.Eddie Lawson, 64, of Boligee was killed when his vehicle was struck by a sedan driven by Clydarryl Lance Smith, 25, of Eutaw.Lawson, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Lawson’s passenger, Cedric Leon Williams, 29, of Boligee and Smith were taken to DCH Regional Medical Center.The crash happened at 5:40 a.m. on Interstate 59 near the 60 mile-marker, about 13 miles south of Tuscaloosa.Alabama State Troopers are investigating the cause of the crash.read more

Virtual Teams Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Avoiding in-office distractions can be a major plus for your company. 5 min read Fireside Chat | July 25: Three Surprising Ways to Build Your Brand Add to Queue Next Article Learn from renowned serial entrepreneur David Meltzer how to find your frequency in order to stand out from your competitors and build a brand that is authentic, lasting and impactful. Image credit: Tetra Images | Getty Images Enroll Now for $5 February 27, 2017 As the American workplace evolves, more and more companies are thinking of ways to increase productivity without reducing the caliber and engagement of their teams. Additionally, there is increased pressure on venture-backed startups to operate leaner until they can generate revenue. As a result, many companies are turning to virtual employees, found through sites like Upwork and similar services, to manage administrative tasks at a more sensible rate.One survey found that 64 percent of employees at international companies participate in virtual teams and that 52 percent of those teams were based outside of the company’s home country. Now that technology is bringing us closer together, it is easier than ever for companies to leverage top talent at reasonable rates from all around the world.Related: 4 Reasons While Small Companies Are Going RemoteA common misperception of virtual workers is also slowly fading as data suggests that the global workforce is becoming more skilled in English and cross-cultural work. A global HR report from SHRM details that 57 percent of English-speaking workers in Asian countries have a moderate to high proficiency in the language.Another survey indicates that 73 percent of employees believe the challenges that may come with virtual teams are overshadowed by the benefits. Perceptions of virtual work are changing, especially as more companies create positions that are completely virtual or remote.Eric Taussig is the founder and CEO of Prialto and an expert in the world of virtual employees. He is convinced that one of the main reasons virtual work is on the rise is because “today’s companies need to be super focused on doing a few things very well.” As such, companies are more readily outsourcing tasks that are not within the main scope of their business.Here are the top three ways virtual workers make executives and organizations more effective.1. Administrative efficiency.Just like a business has to focus on being excellent at a minimal number of important tasks, executives need to be effective at the tasks that create the most value for their company. “Managed teams of assistants maximize an executive’s time by optimizing their schedule, making sure they have the right information and developing detail-oriented procedures to prevent missed opportunities or oversights,” said Taussig.So why are virtual workers so effective at reducing administrative roadblocks? One reason is that remote work helps them avoid distractions that often occur in office settings. Additionally, virtual workers are often better versed in social tools that help streamline collaboration.Related: When to Hire Virtual Assistants and Outsource Help2. Providing best practices.The arrival of sites like Upwork created a marketplace that connects companies with virtual workers all around the globe. The trouble with these marketplaces, however, is they created an entirely new problem. How do you recruit, vet and hire the right talent? And then what does managing that talent look like? These issues can create more work for companies, minimizing the benefits of outsourcing administrative functions.Taussig shares that the issue is not just helping workers find employers but rather, “the issue is creating the common framework and context so that they can work together more effectively once they have found each other. That’s exactly what a managed service does. It creates the context, the use cases, and the processes so that people can be effective working together across physical and cultural distances.” Virtual assistant companies add a crucial layer of curation and management to the freelance economy, benefiting both the companies that hire them and the talent that works for them.3. Resource allocation.Global Data Analytics research found that Fortune 1000 companies from all around the world are changing their office spaces in light of recent trends in mobile work. Since employees aren’t at their desks 50 to 60 percent of the work week, offices are condensing into smaller locations, saving vital costs for other key business functions.Fortune 1000 companies are not the only ones to benefit. A lot of small to midsize companies are considering office expenditures, so reducing the number of on-site employees could help alleviate the need for larger, more expensive office spaces. This is not to say that virtual workers will always be cheap — finding good talent will always cost more — but the other costs they can save, like time and space, often make them a better option than on-site or domestic employees.Related: Going Virtual: Hiring the Right Team for the Right WorkWhen considering whether or not integrating virtual workers into your business, make sure to look at your motivations and ensure that they align with the real benefits of outsourcing that talent. Instead of evaluating the decision based solely on the percentage of payroll costs it will save, consider how much of your time, energy and management efforts will be saved and what that would mean for your business. 3 Ways Virtual Workers Make Organizations More Effective Guest Writer Sheila Eugenio 284shares Entrepreneurread more

Technology Sites’ Personal Questions May Pose Security Risk What did your maternal grandfather do for a living? What was your high school mascot’s name? Your first pet’s name?If you have an online account at a retailer like Amazon.com, you’ve probably run into such questions when opening an account or when trying to recover one of the dozens of passwords you juggle in your head. Online businesses everywhere have embraced the technique, which is called knowledge-based authentication.Theoretically, the answers to these questions are so personal and obscure that knowing them proves you are you. Experts say, however, that the technology could end up helping hackers compromise your online accounts more easily.Knowledge-based authentication doesn’t replace user names and passwords; it’s an extra layer of security on top of such schemes, since hackers who stumble across your log-in credentials won’t easily figure out the name of your high-school sweetheart. Collecting log-in information and answers to secret questions from your computer requires keylogging software, making it harder for malicious hackers to triumph.Phishers Get Close to HomeJon Fisher, whose firm, Bharosa (acquired by Oracle last year), develops questions for companies to use, says knowledge-based authentication adds a step for account access. “Phishing both those pieces of information is fairly sophisticated.”But scammers have adapted, adding secret questions to their decoy pages, says Lance James, CTO of fraud research company Secure Science. Bank phishing sites may include their own fraudulent drop-down lists that capture people’s answers, which bad guys can then use to hack real accounts.Even when hackers don’t resort to subterfuge, these nuggets of information can be easier targets than passwords. Mark Burnett, author of Hacking the Code, has observed that seemingly random questions such as “What was the make of your first car?” have a narrow list of answers–in the case of autos, 38 major makers–that hackers can use to try to break into an account, versus a vast multitude of password combinations. Next Article Add to Queue –shares Free Webinar | July 31: Secrets to Running a Successful Family Business Register Now » 2 min read Brought to you by PCWorld Asking about your mother’s home town is supposed to help legitimate sites protect your online accounts–but experts say hackers know more about you than you might think. March 25, 2008 Learn how to successfully navigate family business dynamics and build businesses that excel.read more

Add to Queue –shares Learn from renowned serial entrepreneur David Meltzer how to find your frequency in order to stand out from your competitors and build a brand that is authentic, lasting and impactful. Contributors This story originally appeared on PCMag Cars Image credit: Delphi These Companies Are Building an Autonomous Car Platform Next Article August 24, 2016 Fireside Chat | July 25: Three Surprising Ways to Build Your Brand Mobileye and Delphi Automotive are teaming up to build an autonomous driving system that carmakers can add to their vehicles as early as 2019.The companies’ so-called Central Sensing Localization and Planning (CSLP) platform is geared towards car makers that might not want to spend millions on self-driving technology R&D. With CSLP, Delphi and Mobileye will offer Level 4 or 5 autonomous driving capability, in which Level 0 is where a driver controls all aspects of the car and Level 5 is a fully self-driving car that doesn’t even have a steering wheel or pedals. Delphi and Mobileye will demo their solution at CES 2017 and start fleeting testing shortly thereafter in order to start production by 2019.The companies declined to provide exact details on the deal, though Delphi CEOKevin Clark said during a conference call that it’s worth “hundreds of millions of dollars.” Delphi and Mobileye have actually worked together on various projects for 15 years, but this effort will “build a new class of machine intelligence capable of mimicking human driving capabilities,” said Mobileye’s Chairman and CTO, Amnon Shashua.In June Mobileye announced a deal with Intel and BMW to produce self-driving cars by 2021. When asked about that today, Shashua waved off concerns that BMW might be irked to hear that other car makers will get a self-driving solution before it does. The Delphi deal is “complementary,” he said.”The goal here is to build a solution for customers and BMW is a customer,” he responded. Whatever Mobileye does with Delphi will help BMW in the long run. And while Delphi and Mobileye want a production-ready solution by 2019, it might not get into cars until 2021, depending on when car makers buy in, the same time the BMW solution would arrive.Delphi, meanwhile, was selected earlier this month to provide vehicles and compatible software for a fleet of autonomous taxis in Singapore. Trials of six Audi SQ5s will continue for three years, before the commuter program goes live in 2022.Delphi already operates a self-driving fleet in Silicon Valley, and completed a coast-to-coast autonomous trip across the U.S. last year. The company is also eyeing pilot programs in North America and Europe. Stephanie Mlot and Chloe Albanesius 2 min read Enroll Now for $5read more

AcquisitionArtificial IntelligenceAveretekE2openMarketing TechnologyNewsThrough-Channel Marketing Automation Previous ArticleUS Podcast Ad Revenues Hit Historic $479 Million in 2018, an Increase of 53% over Prior Year, According to IAB & PwC ResearchNext ArticleJeff Herrera Announced as Chief Marketing Officer at Annex Cloud E2open Announces Acquisition of Averetek PRNewswireJune 4, 2019, 2:47 pmJune 4, 2019 Combination Creates the Most Comprehensive End-To-End Solution for Channel Sales & MarketingE2open, the one place in the cloud to run your supply chain, announced the acquisition of Averetek, a leader in Through-Channel Marketing Automation (TCMA), enabling companies to discover new markets, shape demand and win business through their indirect sales channels.“Companies that want to accelerate growth understand the critical role that technology plays in managing partner communities, expanding markets and driving sales by placing the right information into the hands of decision-makers at every level of the supplier organization.”This combination will give global firms unprecedented visibility and control of their indirect channel. Averetek enables manufacturers to engage their diverse reseller channels in a scalable way, providing resellers with always-on lead generation content, packaged marketing services, and proven demand creation tactics such as social media automation, event support, email marketing and web content syndication. With the addition of Averetek, E2open can now “close the loop”, providing an end-to-end solution for planning, managing and executing channel marketing activities.Marketing Technology News: Net Element Launches Blade, Fully-Automated, Artificial Intelligence-Powered Underwriting Solution with Predictive Scoring“By joining E2open, we’re able to offer global brands a broader set of tools and services that will accelerate channel growth,” said Peter Thomas, chief executive officer of Averetek, who joins E2open as their vice president of channel strategy.E2open provides the largest global channel network, connecting clients to more than 2 million channel distributors, resellers and retailers across multiple industry verticals including high tech, industrial and consumer packaged goods. Data from all parties is exchanged in real-time, harmonized to become decision-grade and used to power a complete solution suite to improve the performance of channel sales, channel marketing and channel operations. E2open’s continuing investments in Artificial Intelligence and Prescriptive Analytics help brands automate decisions at scale and operate global enterprises with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness.Marketing Technology News: Pernix Launches Attribution Application Solution to Brings Full Transparency to Performance Marketing Programs“Data and system challenges have forced many channel organizations to make critical decisions on the basis of hunches, anecdotes and outdated assumptions,” said Maria Chien, executive advisor, channel marketing strategies of SiriusDecisions. “Companies that want to accelerate growth understand the critical role that technology plays in managing partner communities, expanding markets and driving sales by placing the right information into the hands of decision-makers at every level of the supplier organization.”“Our goal at E2open is to create a true digital supply chain that connects all parties from customer to supplier, and is enabled by intelligent algorithms, allowing companies to respond in real-time to changes in demand and supply,” said Michael Farlekas, president and chief executive officer of E2open. “With the addition of Averetek, we’ll enable brands and their reseller partners to shape demand for their products and services at scale while delivering predictable ROI to both.”Marketing Technology News: Getty Images and APO Group Announce Strategic Partnership to Provide Innovative and Integrated Text, Photo and Video Services to Companies Operating in Africa and the Middle Eastread more